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Project Overview 

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is leading an effort, in partnership with the City of Hopkins and numerous public and private partners, to transform a former industrial site at 325 Blake Road into a vibrant space where people and nature thrive together. 

The 325 Blake Road Restoration and Redevelopment project is an effort to marry two sets of goals:

• The restoration will complete a missing link in the Minnehaha Creek Greenway, a decade-long effort to restore the creek and connect a system of green space and trails around Minnehaha Creek to the surrounding community
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• At the same time, MCWD is working closely with the City of Hopkins and a private partner to integrate a transformative, transit-oriented redevelopment into the site. 

  • To learn more about the redevelopment of the site, visit City of Hopkin’s and Alatus's project pages. 

Overview video

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Background

In 2011, MCWD purchased a 17-acre industrial site in Hopkins as a key piece in its restoration of Minnehaha Creek through its most degraded and hidden stretch.

The property is nestled between regionally significant features on all sides:

• More than 1,000 feet of Minnehaha Creek 
  
  
• The newly-reconstructed Blake Road corridor connecting to neighborhoods, businesses, and nearby Knollwood Mall
  
  
• The METRO Green Line light rail that will run to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul
  
  
• The Cedar Lake LRT Regional Trail that connects the west metro to Minneapolis

As a result, the site is poised to become a unique community asset: a new neighborhood with a place to relax in nature, connect with community, and get where you want to go.

In partnership with the City of Hopkins and with guidance from the community, MCWD is leading a restoration effort that uses four to six acres of the site to provide access to Minnehaha Creek, improve its health, and connect the Minnehaha Creek Greenway trail system that currently runs through Cottageville Park, the Minnehaha Creek Preserve, and the Methodist Hospital campus. The work will also use natural features to clean polluted runoff from about 270 acres around the site, improving water quality locally and in downstream lakes.

On the remaining land, MCWD and the City of Hopkins are working with a redevelopment partner, Alatus, who will transform the site into a new neighborhood that celebrates these environmental enhancements and blends seamlessly into the surrounding community.

Project benefits

	Easy access to the METRO Green Line Blake Road Station		A welcoming and sustainable new neighborhood integrated with public green space
	Treatment for 270 acres of polluted stormwater runoff		Completion of the Minnehaha Creek Greenway trail system
	Direct access to Minnehaha Creek		Removal of approximately 180 pounds phosphorus per year from the creek, which prevents up to 90,000 pounds of algae growth in downstream water bodies

Timeline

2011: 325 Blake Road site purchased

 
2015:Cottageville Park expansion completed

 
2015:Minnehaha Creek Preserve restoration completed

 
2015-2019: Stormwater diversion pipes installed from Lake Street and Powell Road, allowing the site to treat polluted stormwater from hundreds of acres of surrounding area  

 
2018: Warehouse building demolished

 
2019:

• Heavy construction begins on METRO Green Line light rail 
• Blake Road reconstruction completed

 
2021:

• Letters of interest solicited from potential development partners 
• February-March: Stakeholder and community listening sessions and survey (Report)
• June: Private development partner, Alatus, selected by MCWD and City of Hopkins
• June & July: Virtual and in person meetings about the design of the site's public realm (Report)
• September 23rd: MCWD Board of Managers accept schematic design (30% design) (Memorandum and design renderings) 
• October 12th: Presentation of schematic design to Hopkins City Council (Meeting recording: CC Work Session 10-12-2021)
• November 15th: Presentation of schematic design at Alatus Neighborhood Meeting at 43 Hoops in Hopkins. Public input on site amenities through in-person and online survey.

2021-2022: 

• January 24th: Virtual public meeting on 60% designs and community preference survey on project features (Meeting slides: English and Somali; Meeting recording: English and Somali).
• Winter/Spring: Final creek restoration and regional stormwater project design 
• Spring/Summer: Construction bidding and start for creek restoration and regional stormwater

Get involved 

Community input has been, and will continue to be, vital to the project. See above for current opportunities to participate. 

Please check this webpage or sign up for project updates to receive information about future engagement opportunities. 

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